Sure, not a soul on the active Notre Dame roster was around when South Florida kicked 2011 off into hell, but Brian Kelly, Tommy Rees, and all of us sure were. 52-0 heals a lot of wounds.

We reminisce about the Irish blowout and also discuss the Big Ten finding new “medical data”, Navy finding their mojo, FSU finding COVID, Miami finding their swagger, and Phil Jurkovec finding his game.

Oh, and the ACC Sim came for blood, y’all. It was not messing around this week!

Podcast

Twitch VoD

The post HLS Recap: Exorcising Demons appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

But, true to form, Spartans wasn’t their first name. As an agricultural college, they first competed as the Aggies. This was changed to the erudite and witty “Michigan Staters,” begging the question “What does a Stater do” – state the matter clearly, or change states of matter? The problem was solved after another week-long symposium of the greatest minds in applied science, who lighted upon “The Michigan State Sport Ons.” Aside from ending a team name in a preposition, this causes one to ask “Is there a sport-off;” either way, Sport Ons or Sport Offs just sound dirty. The solution was presented by local restaurateurs who hailed from Sparta in Greece. Thus were born the Michigan State Caterers – soon changed again to the Michigan State Spartans.

Ever since then, the Spartans have reveled in their tenuous Greek heritage. Recently, they have included a phrase on their uniforms and helmets: μολὼν λαβέ. This is where it gets complicated. The words are obviously ancient Greek, although the Michigan State players usually think it’s some kind of factory printing error. Pronounced like “molṑn labé” (causing Michigan State players to think they have an unsightly mole somewhere on their bodies) the phrase translates literally to “having arrived, take.” Legendarily, it was addressed by Leonidas, king of the Spartans, to Xerxes, Shahanshah of Persia. Xerxes had arrived in Greece for a little pillage and rapine. The Spartans stood in his way. Thus, “Molon Labe” is the ancient equivalent of “Come and Get It!”

And, oh my, the Persians did. Long story short: The Athenians defeated the Persians at Marathon (you’ve heard of that); the Persians went home, vowed revenge, and came back; the Spartans met them in September of 480bc at Thermopylae, a narrow pass in the mountains; Leonidas said “come and get it,” and over the course of three days, the Persians slaughtered the Spartans to a man.

Don’t put that phrase on my uniform! Sure, even though it was a strategic defeat, it was inspirational. But there are no parallels to the Michigan State Spartans – at least none that they should celebrate. First, they are invading Notre Dame, Indiana, not defending East Lansing, Michigan (because, really, who would want to). They are the aggressors; the inspirational advantage is with the Irish. Second, the Persian forces numbered some 100,000, while there were only 300 Spartans in the battle…along with 400 Thebans and 700 Thespians, who never get any credit except for dazzling stage performances. Either way, the Spartans were greatly outnumbered, just like the Irish, of whom there are 12,000; opposing are the forces of Michigan State, a top ten university – by size – with 50,000. Third, you can’t win for losing in football. Nor will it be inspirational for their fans if Michigan State holds the Irish scoreless for three quarters, while also scoring nothing, and then lets Notre Dame win 56-0 in the fourth (however, I do invite them to employ this very strategy). Finally, in ancient Greece everyone hated the Spartans. They enslaved local non-Spartans, and they fought destructive wars with Athens, Corinth, Argos, and Thebes, that ultimately resulted in their own decline. Wait…this sounds just like the Big 10; and come to think of it, you know you’re universally loathed when even the University of Michigan hates you. So maybe there is at least one parallel.

I understand what the Michigan State Spartans are going for with Molon Labe – Come and Get It. It’s similar to General Anthony McAuliffe in command of the American 101^st Airborne Division in the Second World War. As the Germans surrounded him during the Battle of the Bulge, the enemy commander offered McAuliffe the opportunity to surrender or be annihilated along with all of his troops. McAuliffe’s response read: “To the German Commander. NUTS! The American Commander.” That’s the kind of laconic bravery that is remembered through the ages. But it also helps that, unlike the Spartans, the Americans won.

And Anthony Clement McAuliffe was Irish Catholic.

So if Michigan State wants to say “μολὼν λαβέ,” I say “NUTS!” With a 48-28-1 record in our favor, if the Spartans think they’re going to beat the Irish, then they really are nuts. And later this season, when we include a phrase on our uniforms and helmets, it won’t be the last words of a defeated king; it will be the words that have inspired, and will continue to inspire for generations, in war and in peace: God, Country, Notre Dame.

EFS CSC

Padre’s book Father Sorin Says: The Founder Comments on Today’s Notre Dame is available on campus at the Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore, and from the ancient Greek warrior-ladies at Amazon. It’s a must-read for every Fighting Irish fan; and it’s a try-to-read for Michigan State fans.

The post Good Fridays w/Padre: Lost in Translation appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Not surprising that an athletic conference, the source and summit of bad ideas, is the water trough from which a particularly preposterous notion has begun to drip.  It seems the Big Ten (or Big .714, which is what you get when you try to force 14 into 10) is spending all the extra cash it made from Ohio State’s success, on vast quantities of cheap booze.  Like tipsy fez-clad Shriners running around their conference hotel late at night, the Big Ten pundits have come up with a Very Bad Idea.  Unlike the Shriners, these brilliant plans have nothing to do with plastic wrap on toilet bowls, but pertain to meddling with football and basketball eligibility.  In short, the Big Ten wants to bar all freshmen from playing football and basketball.  Well, not all freshmen – just the lads.  This sounds like it was thought up by an angry nun presiding over a roomful of rumbustious sixth-graders, who won’t let the naughty boys play outside at recess, but instead is making them stay in and write-out Bible verses.  The Big Ten is angry because their boys aren’t graduating much when they play football and basketball; thus, they are creating this so-called “Year of Readiness.”

No, this won’t send high school players running to the SEC like their hair is on fire.  No, this won’t create a “Year of Slacking and Frustrated Acting-Out.”  No, this won’t generate a system of fifth-year graduate students taking ghost classes so they can play one last season.  To think those things you’d have to be cynical…or realistic.  And, No, this isn’t unfair, even though it does not include half of the student population and none of the other sports.

It is true that graduation rates need to be improved for football and basketball players.  But I have a more radical solution: Make them work as hard as their classmates who play nothing more than Checkers.  It seems to have worked pretty well for us, since we often have the best football graduation success rate in the nation.  Too bad it has prevented us from being #1 in the football rankings – except when it hasn’t.  The Big Ten believes this will begin a “national conversation.”  I believe the conversation will begin with, “What the Hel heck is this?  Were they wearing fezzes and drunkenly running around a conference hotel late at night when they came up with this idea?  The “Year of Readiness” is about as attractive as a big, sharp, icicle ready to fall on someone’s head.”

Unfortunately, the Big Ten isn’t the only leaky gutter dripping Very Bad Ideas.  It seems our own University is toying with the notion of dropping the Philosophy and Theology requirement.  Well, not exactly dropping it, but making it more user-friendly.  Instead of a boring course in dreary old Aquinas, students can study Catholic painters to learn about God.  Like Caravaggio, who loved to paint Biblical figures either cutting off heads or getting their heads cut off.  He was also an inveterate gambler besotted with insatiable and diverse carnal appetites, as well as a murderer.  But dam darn, could he paint St. Paul falling off a horse’s as butt!

I didn’t hammer a holy Cross into the frozen ground of Northern Indiana, in weather just like this, to have my University decide studying about some Jesus guy was taking up too much time in busy students’ schedules.  And who’s got the chapped hindquarters about Philosophy?  It’s the study of…studying.  It teaches you how to think.  Call me old-fashioned, but that really should be the goal of a higher education.  Maybe a couple of Philosophy classes in the “Year of Readiness” would teach Big Ten “student”-athletes how to think through the merits of studying, passing, and graduating.

Maybe it’s all the excess time spent cooped up inside that causes these Very Bad Ideas to form.  I’ve often blamed spending four years living in Zahm or Dillon for warping young minds, four years of living in Morrissey for warping young hygiene.  At least here we haven’t seen the Very Bad Idea of jumping out second and third-story windows into snowdrifts.  Apparently this fad has developed in Boston.  Sure, going to BC is miserable and humiliating, but it’s no reason to hurt yourself.

So, my advice is as follows: Big Ten, if you can’t graduate your football and basketball players, tighten your own belt; Core-Curriculum Review Committee, cancel the Theology requirement, and you might find yourselves in hot water (and hot everything else) at the end of your earthly lives – cancel Theology and Philosophy, and you might as well have us join the ever-ready Big Ten; and lads who are thinking of jumping out a window into the snow, go play football on the quad or basketball in the Rock…and never, ever, attend a Jesuit school.

EFS CSC

The post Good Fridays w/Padre: Bad Ideas appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

We don’t know what exactly the 12-person committee will use as criteria for which teams make the final cut. We don’t know if they’ll take injuries or suspensions into account. We don’t know how they’ll weigh conference championships. We don’t know if they’ll show compassion for a team that lost in the final seconds of an epic top five show down because of a controversial offensive penalty that negated a game-winning score. We don’t know anything, really.

Several committee members have noted that they watch upwards of fifty teams a week. Not just the top teams, but also the teams that the top teams play, specifically the ones that will be considered common denominators. I imagine, and this is just me, that teams that cross conference lines such as Clemson, South Carolina, or Arizona State will be major influences even if they don’t have realistic chances to make the Football Four themselves.

I broke down the top teams into three tiers. The top tier are the current “guarantees” if there are such a thing at this point. The second tier will be the teams fighting for the last one or two spots. The third tier are the teams that need some help outside of their own schedule.

Tier One: 

• Mississippi State – The widely-considered top team in the nation has by far the best resume. They have wins against three top ten teams (at the time of kickoff) and they’ve been one of the most consistent and dominant teams in all of their wins (their only single-digit winning margin was on the road against LSU).
• Ole Miss – While they don’t have as many top wins as their magnolia state brethren, they did knock of Alabama, skyrocketing them into the top three. the rest of their wins have been just as dominant as Mississippi State, but not against quite as high of talent thus far.
• Florida State – If the Seminoles were a Friends episode, it would be called “The one that didn’t die”. This team has found ways to eke out wins when it shouldn’t have. If they do fall at some point, the voters will likely make them pay for it.

For now, these teams are in. Unfortunately for the two Mississippi teams, the Egg Bowl could be the first of potentially four straight playoff games for the winner. If both teams win out, the Egg Bowl decides the SEC West winner, who will then have to play in the SEC Championship, then into the NCAA playoffs. Only one of these teams will get in. I feel like any team that gets a loss in the last two weeks of the season will be toast. That’s just how voters remember things.

Florida State will likely win out. The ACC is terrible and FSU has already faced the hardest teams on their schedule. So barring some incredible upset that would likely make the entire nation celebrate, we have to assume the Seminoles are going to be in the playoffs.

Tier Two:

I saved this one for last because it is the deepest and in the most flux. If you’re a Notre Dame fan, these are the teams we need to watch closely if we hope to get back into the top four. We don’t know what’s going to happen in the top tier, but likely two out of those three teams are going to be in the playoffs. That leaves just two more spots open. At this point, it’s going to be hard to see an outcome where two SEC teams don’t go. The SEC West is just too incredibly deep, and as we’ll see shortly we can’t count out Georgia out of the East either.

• Alabama – Of all the one-loss teams in the SEC West, Bama has the best shot of stealing the conference. A win over Mississippi State throws the entire nation into a mess, let alone the division.
• Auburn – Similar to Alabama, Auburn has plenty of chances to win out against big teams and still take the division. No matter what, the Iron Bowl likely decides which team gets eliminated.
• Oregon – The Ducks’ big problem was originally that Michigan State looked like not such a big win, but now it’s looking a lot better. Now their problem lies in the schedule. With no big games remaining until the conference championship, it’s hard for Oregon to impress anyone on the committee.
• Notre Dame – Some people are saying Notre Dame’s loss almost helped the Irish as much as a win at least in perception of if they belong with the big boys. Notre Dame cannot win a conference championship, but their schedule allows them not to have to. A couple of “big enough” games are still ahead of them, as well.
• Michigan State – Right now, they’re a little on the outside looking in, but defeating Ohio State in two weeks will put them squarely into the mix. After that, the path smooths out and even the B1G Championship will be very gettable.
• Georgia – If there’s any team that has been overlooked this year, it might be Georgia. With one more big game against Auburn coming up and a potential trip to the SEC Championship game, the Bulldogs are far from dead this season.

The biggest question out of this tier will be what happens in the SEC West. There’s a scenario where Ole Miss beats Alabama who beats Mississippi State who beats Ole Miss. I don’t even know who wins the division at that point, let alone gets into the playoffs. Or how about Auburn beats Ole Miss who beats Mississippi State who already beat Auburn? Could there be a four-way tie? Only time will tell and it’ll be huge for the outside one-loss teams hoping to get a chance at the championship.

Tier Three:

• TCU/Kansas State/Baylor – These teams must win out. The Big 12 just isn’t strong enough right now to guarantee a one-loss champion getting into the playoffs. Kansas State may have the best chance as they close the season with games against not only TCU and Baylor but also West Virginia. Running that table would go a long way to bumping their resume.
• Nebraska/Ohio State – Both of these teams will need to win the B1G championship to have a shot. That chance is greater for OSU as they have a huge game against Michigan State looming.
• Arizona State/Arizona – The loss to UCLA is killing them right now as the Bruins have dropped in the rankings. Still, with wins over USC, Stanford and a game against Notre Dame later on, it could give them a chance to steal the PAC 12 South and play Oregon as a play-in game. Arizona has a huge win against Oregon, but will have to beat ASU to get a rematch against the Ducks. It’ll be hard to beat that team twice.

It’s going to be hard for any of these teams to make the playoffs, there’s just too much up in the air at this point on their schedules. The Big 12 teams have beaten each other up just enough to knock them all out. The B1G teams need Michigan State to drop out. The Arizona teams have mediocre losses on their record already, have to play each other still, and THEN still have to likely play Oregon. Are these teams out of it? Not even close. But it’s a steep hill in front of them.

My gut tells me that if the remaining season is on short supply of surprises, the last spot will come down to Notre Dame and Michigan State. We’re going to see exactly what the committee weighs heavily and which things aren’t as important. Of all the seasons these two teams could have picked to not play each other, it looks like it happened when both teams needed the game the most. One could be a conference champion whose only loss is on the road to a top five team. One could be a cross-country conqueror whose only loss is on the road to a top five team.

It’s hard to compare Notre Dame to other teams around the country. There’s no conference championship to play for, which could end up being the death blow to a 2014 championship run. While Notre Dame sits at 11-1 after a win on the road to USC, the other teams will all be playing nationally televised all-or-nothing games. Will it be Georgia versus Mississippi State? Whoever is in this game, the winner is in. Florida State will likely win the ACC with an unblemished record. They’re in.

That leaves two spots. There is a strong chance that two SEC teams finishes the season at 11-1 and DOESN’T make the championship game, despite having defeated at least one of the teams in that game. How can you punish a team from the SEC West with an 11-1 record? You can’t. They’re in, too.

That leaves one final spot.

Notre Dame. Michigan State. Oregon.

Who gets in? Does the head-to-head victory for Oregon over Michigan State knock out the Spartans? Oregon and Michigan State will likely both win conferences, does that end the season for the Irish? Notre Dame will have played the hardest schedule. Does that cook the Ducks?

Even more importantly, will any of that even matter?

If college football has taught us anything, it’s that there will always be more surprises. We know there will be teams in the top ten that will receive their first or second loss this season. That’s a guarantee. But we also know that a couple more will likely be upset. Who takes that fall? Will Notre Dame lose to Arizona State? Does Oregon stumble against Stanford? Does Kentucky surprise a big name? Does LSU? Can Michigan ruin the Spartans season?

Anything can and will happen in the NCAA. We’ve already had a week where five top ten teams lost. If only one top ten team loses a week from now until December, we will have a drastically different idea of what a playoff team might look like. The key? Don’t be one of those teams that lose. If Notre Dame can avoid that fate, they’ll be getting good news about January.

The post Notre Dame Still Squarely in Playoff Picture appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Just watch the final time lapse of the FieldTurf installation. Let’s see if you notice it:

Did you see it? You probably missed it. The distraction of plastic cancer-causing grass, kickoff shamrock logos, and midfield monograms likely distracted you from the truth. Let’s try another view:

Exactly one month from right now we'll be running out of this tunnel onto our new field! #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/YYq1HBZdS3

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) July 30, 2014

Still mesmerized by the new eternal green that only used to exist in the dreams of Touchdown Jesus? ENHANCE:

@IrishElvis still no G pic.twitter.com/Ke97Ev0JU6

— Tamara Brown (@NDSportsBlogger) July 31, 2014

That’s right, the “G” marking the goal line is gone. And yes, it definitely was there before:

https://twitter.com/oaknd1/status/492343580233850880

I know the Irish red zone offense has struggled, especially in goal-to-go situations where the goal line creeps ever closer. I had no idea the problems ran this deep.

Kelly’s hatred of the goal line clearly knows no bounds. He’s swapped goal line marked glory for ND monograms and shamrocks.

What’s next Brian? X’s in the endzone corners to mark were to stop on the fade routes? A gigantic sign on the 20 yard line that says “Do not Pass Run”?

And do you realize the ramifications that this will have on defense, Brian? How will we ever have a goal line stand like we did against Stanford ever again? Do you really expect VanGorder to just say “stop them before the line that’s before the slanted lines?”

This has gone too far. I’ve been suckered by the changes. The allure of FieldTurf and a promise of jumbotrons has blinded me to the truth. The road to hell is paved with a synthetic surface and Notre Dame football is all aboard that “Crazy Train”.

The Roundup

If you think FieldTurf is a huge change, just wait until you see what’s going on in Aggieland.

One of the biggest party schools in the nation has announcement: party’s over in Tempe.

And I thought Michigan was having trouble selling tickets. LSU has already taken to Living Social to dump cheap seats for terrible out-of-conference games and less desirable SEC opponents. They are even marketing this deal in Dallas. Here’s an actual, unedited picture of my inbox:

I would say that shots were fired in Urban Meyer’s direction. But this is more like nukes launched.

Our lineup of talking heads has been announced. ESPN released their finalized announcer shakeup as well as FOX which includes Irish alumni Brady Quinn.

And now your moment(s) of Nix… We have a tie this week. I simply could not choose between B1G mascots dancing to a rap song about the B1G conference:

https://vine.co/v/M0VFmnz7uKB

Or Florida State freshmen attempting to rap in a parody video:

The Booze

I missed out on the fun that was Sharknado 2: The Second One as my wife hasn’t yet seen the glory that is Sharknado. To make sure she’s probably introduced to both of these “so incredibly terrible, it’s amazing” movies, we are having a double-feature tonight in the Tex household.

Her only request: buy a handle of vodka.

So this weekend is going to be filled with all kinds of vodka cocktails. Shoot me some of your favorites in the comments. Bonus if they are shark themed.

The post Friday Roundup: The “Brian Kelly Hates the Goal Line” Edition appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

I’m pretty sure that old Charles Dickens didn’t pen those words with Notre Dame in mind, but here in the waning days of 2012, he certainly could have.

Man, I thought I had issues trying to write post introductions.

You know you’re in for a great ride when the second sentence contains “pretty sure he didn’t do this, but he probably totally did, just go with it.”

That’s because, on one hand, the Fighting Irish are flying as high as ever with a No. 1 ranking and a chance to win their first national championship in a quarter century when they face Alabama on Jan. 7 in the BCS Championship Game. But on the other hand, the future of Notre Dame’s athletic programs – despite the football team’s current success – has never been less stable, or clear.

On Monday, Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick acknowledged that the implosion of the Big East has left the Irish in an oh-so-precarious position. Notre Dame announced in September that its sports teams – except for the fiercely independent football program – are leaving the Big East for the ACC but that the school is contractually obligated to play in the league for two more years.

OK, maybe we should give this guy a chance. This actually could make some sense and present an article worthy of debate.

Let’s see where this goes…

However, with the Big East’s seven Catholic basketball schools declaring last week that they’re departing the conference, the Big East may not exist at all by next fall. And, as a result, Notre Dame could be without a conference in which to play basketball and other sports next season.

…right into a brick wall.

So let me get this straight. Notre Dame needs to join the Big Ten because the Big East fell apart (something that our departure accelerated, by the way) and Notre Dame might not have a conference in 2013. So despite the fact that we have an agreement in place with the ACC in 2014, Notre Dame should jump ship to the Big Ten now to solve this issue.

You’re kidding right, Dave?

However this drama plays out, it appears the Irish will eventually bolt one train wreck of a league (the Big East) for another one (the ACC) that’s resembled a sputtering jalopy ever since charter member Maryland announced last month that it’s bolting the conference for the sanctuary of the Big Ten.

Guess not.

The ACC is destined to be a train wreck because Maryland, that’s right, MARYLAND decided to jump ship.

Now, of course, if Notre Dame itself had joined the Big Ten – that deep-pocketed, powerful and highly stable league right in its own backyard – none of these annoying headaches involved with crumbling conferences would exist.

Yeah, we’d just have to deal with the headache of dealing with a conference that can’t even figure out division alignment without an internet survey. Oh, and the small fact that Delany has seemed to lose his damn mind by watering down his conference with Rutgers and Maryland.

Don’t cite TV markets as the reason either. If you think that the entire New York/New Jersey market actually cares about watching Rutgers do anything, you are as foolish as Delany. Maryland also isn’t exactly cornering any desirable TV markets either.

Maybe Delany really loves crab cakes?

Don’t give the “in ND’s own backyard” reason either. For 125 years Notre Dame football has played a national schedule for football. Why would we ever sacrifice that kind of national presence? Regional scheduling is small-time thinking. ND operates on a national scale and limiting ourselves to “our own backyard” completely screws that up.

Finally, money? You’re joking right? Notre Dame was the eighth most profitable football program last season and that was during a mediocre year without magical conference money. You seriously think money is a concern for ND?

But those headaches aren’t likely to cease soon. And considering how drastically the college sports landscape has changed over the past few years – and surely will continue to do so for several more – here’s my advice for Notre Dame:

Just join the Big Ten already.

Things will continue to change, but the Big Ten won’t, promise!

As I’ve written before, here in this age of emerging “superconferences,” a situation is almost certain to arise where Notre Dame is going to have to join a league – all the way – or find its football team left out of the evolving power structure.

You mean that “evolving power structure” that created a new playoff system which included Notre Dame?

Come on now, where you asleep this past offseason, Dave?

And when that does happens, Notre Dame football would be a much better fit in the Big Ten than the ACC, which (if it even survives) will always be more of a basketball conference than it ever will be a football one.

Good thing the goal is to remain independent in football!

Also, wasn’t the whole initial issue all of Notre Dame’s “other sports” not having a home?

And as we all know, football is what Notre Dame is really about. Today, tomorrow and forever.

OK, I guess this post is about football now.

However, in spite of pigskin being such a priority, a few years ago a friend of mine who is a Notre Dame alum said that despite the school’s powerful desire to maintain its football independence, it wouldn’t cling to that if it ended up hurting the school’s other sports programs.

Or not. Seriously, pick an argument and stick with it.

Also, bonus hilarity for citing “a friend of mine”. You would’ve been better off saying “a source familiar with the Notre Dame athletic program” if you really wanted to properly spoon-feed us this crap.

Does this friend actually have knowledge of the inner-workings of ND? I’m assuming not, otherwise you would’ve used it to strengthen your argument that is now completely coming off the rails.

To top it all off, you are citing an opinion from “a few years ago” back when the conference landscape looked nothing like it does now. What does your friend think now with the new ACC deal in place? Shame that we’ll never know.

Actually, you know what, I’m a Notre Dame alum. My opinion should hold weight to this argument! Guess what I think? You’re full of crap. Boom. Roasted.

Right now, it looks like the Irish’s other sports programs could indeed be hurting badly if they don’t have a conference home next year. A few years down the line, Notre Dame football could end up hurting too […]

It’s other sports! It’s football!

Rabbit season! Duck season!

[…]if it’s ultimately forced into a weakened ACC that’s lost marquee members and is instead dominated by lackluster ones.

So now you’re just going to stick with the assumptions and start making crap up?

Fine, I’ll bite. All the ACC schools will jump ship. Who? To where? When? And what makes you so certain the Big Ten won’t budge?

I’m sure the next paragraph will shed some light on these burning questions.

While I still consider it unlikely to happen, what I’d like to see is for Notre Dame to get off its high horse and politely knock on Jim Delany’s door. If Notre Dame asked, I’d be willing to bet that the Irish basketball team and its other sports programs could be fit into the Big Ten schedule next season. And then the Notre Dame football team could join the Big Ten along with Maryland, Rutgers and a 16^th member TBD when the 2013-14 season rolls around.

Or we’ll just completely ignore it and move on to more assumptions!

Not only will Delany take in the Irish, but he’ll find a 16th team as well (Cincinnati must be licking their chops!). Oh and the scheduling will be fine! Don’t mind the details, just carry on with this logic! We’re on a roll here!

Alright, I’m probably being too mean. Dave still has plenty of time to clear all of this up.

Now, would it be simple to pull all that off? Of course not.

Translation: “Remember all of that crap I just made up? You know, all those reasons that will save Notre Dame from all those “headaches” I mentioned earlier? Yeah, moving to the Big Ten will create more headaches.”

Superb.

Notre Dame’s entanglements with the Big East, ACC, NBC and future football opponents would all have to be sorted out and appeasements would certainly have to be made. But nothing in college sports is impossible – especially with Notre Dame’s and the Big Ten’s money.

You’re right nothing is impossible…including Notre Dame staying independent and finding another dance partner that isn’t the Big Ten should the ACC falter. If you don’t think that’s possible, you are conviently forgetting DeLoss Dodds and Jack Swarbrick have a great relationship.

Oh hell, let’s get really crazy and start making crap up since you are.

Let’s say Notre Dame sees the ACC fall apart and says “OK, forget this independence thing. We’re starting our own national conference and will invite eleven other schools. We will use the NBC family of networks to promote our conference and televise all of our conference games just like the Olympics.” The line would for invitations would form to the left and include approximately 119 schools (rough estimate) hoping for an invitation.

Improbable and unlikely? Definitely. Then again so is your scenario, and mine actually makes more sense than joining the Big Ten.

This week, for example, rumors are swirling that Butler – which is in its first year in the Atlantic 10 – may leave already and instead link up with the “Catholic 7” from the Big East in forming a new hoops-centric league.

“Our administrators, our coaches, our trustees and our team will continue to do what is right for Butler and its students,” Butler president James Danko said in a statement Monday, not committing the school one way or another while showing that changes can always be made.

Can someone connect the dots for me?

How does talking about Butler follow anything resembling a continuous line of thought after “nothing in college sports is impossible – especially with Notre Dame’s and the Big Ten’s money”?

What are you even trying to say here? Butler is keeping its options open so therefore so should Notre Dame? And even if that’s the point, do you think Swarbrick, the same guy that kept his options open this year to make the move to the ACC is all of a sudden closed-minded?

Actually let’s back up even further. Are you comparing Notre Dame to Butler?!

My head hurts.

If Notre Dame was truly honest with itself, I think it would see that the Big Ten is still the conference that’s best for the Irish athletic programs and students-athletes. Just like it always has been.

Notre Dame is honest with itself. Notre Dame is a national presence and brand. Joining the Big Ten isolates us to the Midwest region. That alone is enough reason to reject this idea.

But even ignoring that, what other benefits have you actually presented in this article, Dave? The only other two are money (which ND needs no help with) and stability (which you can’t guarantee).

So why should ND join the Big Ten again?

I suspect that even Charles Dickens would agree with that.

Even the corpse of Charles Dickens would see the light! How can I possibly argue with that?

Message to anyone thinking about writing a Notre Dame to Big Ten article: don’t. There is no logic behind it. It will never happen. Just do yourself a favor and stop.

As for Dave? Here is your prize.

The post Just Stop Writing Dumb “Join B1G” Columns Already, Everyone appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Let’s be honest, the past decade hasn’t been kind to me or any Irish fan for that matter. Hell, we could probably go back even further than that, but I’m not going to pretend to have any major Irish memories when my age wasn’t even in double digits.

The point though, is that you’ve teased us before. We’ve seen the undefeated runs and the multiple “return[s] to glory” only to play Charlie Brown while you are Lucy, yanking the football away from us.

This is why Biscuit had to write a piece simply to wonder just how he should feel. I too find myself in a strange spot as to just how I should approach this Saturday.

I want to be clear, I have all the confidence in the world that you can beat Southern Cal. They aren’t exactly the elite team we thought they were and now they are starting a redshirt freshman at quarterback. There’s all the reason in the world for me to be convinced that this Saturday is simply “taking care of business”, but yet, I’m utterly terrified.

The thing is, I know I’m not alone either. This is what you have done to us. Hell, I’m even scared of putting a jinx on the whole thing by simply discussing potential travel plans should Saturday end in a victory.

I beg you, for the love of God, please finish the job and just destroy Southern Cal.

Don’t go breaking my heart again, ND. I can’t take it.

http://youtu.be/WwJ_XuAgMNM

The Roundup

Because you can never have enough reasons to hate Kiffin and USC. The SEC is squarely behind him and now Chip Kelly of Oregon even gaurantees victory. Or Lane’s full of crap. Either is likely.

Ohio State is taking a different approach to their BCS title hopes. They are petitioning Barack Obama to pardon them. Seriously. I guess the logic is “we helped you get back in the White House, send us to Miami”; however, there’s a bit of hilarious irony that people in Ohio have also submitted a petition to secede. Well done.

Big Ten, enjoy your new friends. Because your new relationship with Maryland and Rutgers really doesn’t make much sense.

Oh, and Big East, you need to figure something out and fast. You are now on life support.

Want to win a banner used at the Emerald Isle Classic? Swing by the ND Alumni Facebook page for details. I’d suggest liking them for future updates.

Notre Dame is looking to rack up the hardware. Be sure to swing by UND.com who has a central hub for everything that you need to spread the word for our deserving candidates, including Manti Te’o’s Heisman quest.

Yes, I know I bag on ESPN a lot. But every now and then, they do some great stuff like this piece on a life-long Irish fan that recently passed.

Put These Games on Your Radar

There are loads of intriguing games this weekend. You’ll have a lot of time to kill before our primetime matchup, so the below will definitely keep you busy.

#19 Michigan @ Ohio State, 12pm EST, ABC – Idiotic presidential peitions aside, Ohio State and Urban Meyer would love to make some noise about an undefeated season. Unfortunetly, the Skunkbears are all that now stands in their way. GO METEOR!

#5 Oregon @ #15 Oregon State, 3pm EST, Pac 12 Network – Of course this game just has to be on a channel I don’t have. If you are forunate enough, tune in because this should be a great rivalry matchup.

Auburn @ #2 Alabama, 3:30pm EST, CBS – The Iron Bowl. This will likely end in complete disaster for Auburn, but there is always an outside chance this intense rivalry will deliver one hell of a game.

#4 Florida @ #10 Florida State, 3:30pm EST, ABC – Really not too much to say here besides the fact, I actually would like karma to knock Florida down a peg for winning a game on a blocked punt with just seconds left against a non-BCS team.

#21 Oklahoma State @ #13 Oklahoma, 3:30pm EST, ESPN/WatchESPN – Bedlam. Good potential for a nice Big XII shootout.

#8 Stanford @ #17 UCLA, 6:30pm EST, FOX – Stanford needs a win to secure their spot in the Pac 12 title game against…UCLA…so…uh…round one?

Predictions

Tex

I can’t go back on what I said on the air right? With an uproven QB and a defense looking to make a point to cement Te’o’s Heisman campaign. I’m looking for a solid win. Oh and no TDs for the Trojans.

ND 32 – USC 6

Biscuit

Screw the Dancing Leprechauns!

ND Wins 24-9 (halftime is 10-6 though)

Bayou

38-17 ND runs away with it.

Twibby

Irish 20, Trojans 10

Grantland-X

Like I said in my piece on Tuesday, Notre Dame is headed into USC to go curbstomp our biggest rivals on the way to the National Championship. 34-13 Irish. We goin’ to the ship!

Closest to the Pin – Week 11

This wasn’t even close. Screw closest to the pin, Bayou hit an ace and hit the score dead on. He gets a .5 bonus for that feat.

Well done, sir.

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The Beer

Considering that we are playing out in California, Sierra Nevada immediately came to mind. While I was looking at the potential selections I saw this:

Because, yes, we do indeed want to have a celebration out in Southern Cal. Here’s hoping I’m drinking this IPA out of joy an not to drown my sorrows.

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